Little Red Riding Hood
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the classic tale Little Red Riding Hood. No copyright infringement is intended.
The rest is mine.
I apologize in advance for any mistakes you may find...
Lil' Red Riding Hood by Laura Gibson or Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
Hey there Little Red Riding Hood you sure are looking good
You're everything a big bad wolf could want
Little Red Riding Hood, I don't think little big girls should
Go walking in these old spooky woods alone
...
What big eyes you have
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad
So just to see that you don't get chased
I think I ought to walk with you for a ways
...
What full lips you have
They're sure to lure someone bad
So you until you get to Grandma's place
I think you ought to walk with me and be safe
...
I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on until I'm sure that you've been shown
That I can be trusted walking with you alone
Little Red Riding Hood, I'd like to hold you if I could
But you might think I'm a big bad wolf so I won't
...
What a big heart I have, the better to love you with
Little Red Riding Hood, even bad wolfs can be good
I'll try and be satisfied just walk close by your side
Maybe you'll see things my way before we get to Grandma's place
...
Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good
You're everything a big bad wolf could want
Chapter One
The red hoodie Bella had decided to wear stuck out like a sore thumb in all this green surrounding her, and Forks, Washington was covered in green, all possible shades of it. Bella had grown to detest the color and the little town it seemed to cling to. It covered the trees, the rocks, and even some of the houses.
The only place she could go that wasn't entirely covered with it was the La Push beach. Well, it was the closest thing Forks had to a beach anyway. There wasn't much to do for fun in Forks unless your favorite pastimes included kicking a can around in the dirt or eating at the only restaurant, The Lodge, so the beach was a godsend for Bella. The sun never shined here in Forks, but if she laid on the beach, closed her eyes, and listened to the waves crashing against the rocks she could almost pretend.
Today she had spread out a blanket on the sand, prepared to spend the entire afternoon reading a new book she'd bought from a small shop in Port Angeles. She settled down on the blanket, getting comfortable as she opened her book. The book had been used before, and several of the pages were dog-eared.
"Bella?" asked a husky voice from behind her.
She jumped slightly, started at the sudden sound, but she knew that voice. It was her best friend Jacob Black. Bella turned to see Jake standing a few feet from her, Quill and Embry by his side.
"Bella, are you coming with us?" Jake asked, sounding hopeful.
"Where are you going?" she asked curiously, but she didn't really feel like moving from her spot, so it was unlikely that she'd be joining them.
"The cliffs," Embry answered, pointing up at the intimidating jagged rocks above them.
Bella frowned, unsure. It wasn't that she was worried about the water-she was an excellent swimmer-but she hated heights. A diving board was as high up off the ground as Bella liked to be, so jumping from a high cliff undoubtedly unnerved her...as it would any other normal person, she liked to think.
"Come on, Bells. It'll be fun," Jacob begged, his lower lips jutting out in a pout.
"I don't know..." Bella trailed off, still uncertain if it was a good idea.
"We'll make sure you're safe," Quill added quickly.
"I don't really like heights," Bella admitted even though they already knew this which is why they had so much fun teasing her about cliff-diving.
"Bella, you've got nothing better to do," Jacob practically whined. "If you just try it this once, we'll never bother you about it again."
Bella liked the sound of that. "That's a tempting offer," she laughed.
"So, you'll try it then?" Embry asked expectantly.
Bella thought about it for a moment before sighing and setting her book down on the blanket.
Jacob, Quill, and Embry cheered in victory. They'd been trying to get Bella to go cliff diving with them for months now, but she'd been persistent in squirming her way out of it every time. For some reason today though Bella thought she'd throw caution to the wind. Plus, Jacob's offer sounded too appealing to pass on.
The four of them made their way up higher and higher to the cliffs. A harsh wind blew, sending shivers up Bella's spine and nearly making her teeth chatter. She pulled the hood of the jacket over her hair so it wouldn't whip around quite so much.
"Isn't it a bit cold to be jumping in the water?" she asked nervously. She felt the urge to run back down to the beach.
Jake rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine. Come on," he urged her, putting his hand on the small of her back to lead her to the edge. The closer they got the faster Bella's heart started to thump and rattle inside her chest
"Why do I have to go first?" Bella demanded.
"Because it's your first time, so you get to do the honors," Jacob grinned at her, a mischievous look glinting in his brown eyes.
Bella reluctantly inched closer to the edge of the cliff. She'd already come this far, the hike nearly draining all of her energy, and there was no way she'd be allowed to turn back now. She glanced down over the rocky edge and stared into the mass of dark water and crashing waves below.
"I don't know if I can do this," Bella mumbled, getting an almost nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She took a long, slow breath to calm her nerves, but it was no help whatsoever. They were too high up. "Maybe I can jump from lower down," she tried to negotiate. All of this seemed like such a better idea when she'd been standing safely on the beach.
"Oh, come on, Bells! Go big or go home!" Embry teased, causing the trio of boys to laugh.
Bella didn't think it was all that amusing. She was chickening out.
"Oh no you don't," Jake scolded as he snuck up behind Bella. Before she had time to turn and run Jacob pushed, sending her over the edge of the precarious cliff.
Bella's heart almost leapt out of her chest as she went careening down the side of the cliffs. She let out a terrified, almost exhilarated scream that sounded more like a battle cry. She hit the water, hearing the initial crash before being submerged underneath the dark, glassy surface. Everything was calm under the water.
Peaceful.
She smiled to herself, glad Jake had pushed her. She felt...free? She felt like she had conquered a fear just now even if she had to be forced to jump.
She easily found her way back up to the surface, and smiled to herself. She'd done it, but her moment of triumph was just that, a moment. The smile quickly vanished from her face when she saw the giant waves riding towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as she was plunged underneath the water once more, the giant wave crashing on top of her hard.
Stay calm, she had to remind herself. She rose to the surface again only to be knocked back under again. She fought against the current, her limbs growing tired as she did so. Against her own advice she began to do the one thing that was a sure way to die in a situation like this which was to panic. She couldn't help it. Her instincts were kicking in. Her heart pounded fiercely in panic, beating harshly against her ribcage.
A movement in the water caught her eye. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the large, dark form in the distance swimming towards her. She saw a flicker of bronze on whatever it was and her heart jumped into her throat. Her heart sped, beating against her ribcage harder at the possibilities. Her imagination ran wild, and she pushed back in the water, trying to get away from the form that drew closer. The air she'd been holding left her lungs, causing bubbles to billow out in front of her and gently float to the surface. Underwater she could vaguely hear her muted, muffled scream of protest. She thrashed at the water in front of her and felt herself hit something solid behind her, probably the rocks.
She suddenly had a sharp, throbbing pain on the back of her head. Her vision began rapidly clouding over as a million little black dots took over her sight. As her body grew tired and she could no longer fight against the harsh swirling and pulling of the water she began to slowly sink to the bottom, the eerie form swimming near her forgotten for the moment.
Bella knew she was dying.
Everything went black.
...
The smell of smoke invaded Bella's nostrils, pestering her awake, but she found it difficult to open her heavy lids. She was warm and comfortable, and she didn't want to move, but she could hear hushed voices. They were whispering somewhere close by. The voices appeared to be angry and arguing over something.
"Where did you find her, Alice?" a male voice demanded, sounding part angry and part annoyed.
There was a slight pause.
"Well?" the first voice asked impatiently.
"She was in the forest," a female voice replied quietly.
"What?" the man gasped. "You went into the forest alone?"
"Yes," the girl replied, seeming uncaring of his outburst. "I saw her coming."
Bella was slowly becoming more aware, and she froze upon realizing she did not recognize the angry voices. She didn't dare open her eyes for fear of being discovered.
"Do you even know who she is?" the man hissed angrily.
"Shh," the female voice gently urged. "She will wake any minute now."
With that, both voices fell silent, and Bella could feel them watching her.
Bella felt an uneasy feeling go up her spine. Were they talking about her? Footsteps approached, and Bella's heart sped off like a rabbit's. Slowly, she forced her eyes open. The first thing she saw was a dark, wooden ceiling. Her eyes jumped around the unfamiliar room she was in. There was a fire going in a small fireplace across the room. That explains the smell of smoke, Bella noted. The warm light of the fire bounced off the dark walls that she realized were also made of wooden logs and planks just like the ceiling.
She tried to sit up, noticing she wasn't as stiff as she expected. She almost jumped out of her skin when her eyes landed on two unfamiliar faces. One belonged to a small girl with short, spiky black hair that seemed to stick out in all different directions. The girl's sharp yet friendly blue eyes locked on Bella's brown ones. The other face belonged to a tall blonde man whose hair reached his chin. He stood close to the girl, stepping slightly in front of her in a protective manner. He, too, had piercing blue eyes, but they were not as friendly as the girl's.
They both stared at Bella curiously. The man's stare was slightly more guarded as he studied Bella whilst the short girl grinned widely at her.
"Hello," the girl greeted Bella quietly.
"Umm, hello," Bella replied hesitantly.
"I am Alice and this is my husband, Jasper," the girl...or rather woman introduced herself and the man standing beside her. "What is your name?"
"I'm Bella," she replied slowly as she noticed for the first time that they both wore strange clothes styled from a long time ago, a different time, like the characters in the books she read. For a minute nothing made sense. She came to the realization she had no idea where she was or how she'd ended up there. Slowly, she sat up to discover she was in strange clothes also. She wore a light blue, soft heavy-woven dress that reached down to her ankles and covered her arms. Her shoes were worn tan, almost grey leather boots that came up her ankle a few inches. She noticed she could not feel the bed of hay beneath her because of the thick, hooded red cloak she wore. The garment, made of smooth, thick velvet, hung comfortably on her shoulders and tied loosely at her neck.
Her memory stalled for a moment before everything came flooding back to her. Jacob had pushed her off the cliffs in La Push. She remembered diving into the water...the waves crashing down violently on top of her. She had drowned, hadn't she? Did that mean she was dead?
"Where am I?" Bella asked aloud.
The two strangers, Jasper and Alice, exchanged a quick look.
"You are in Twilight," Alice told her.
"Twilight?" Bella repeated quietly to herself, glancing around the small cabin they appeared to be inside of. Like the Twilight Zone, Bella wondered sarcastically to herself.
"Yes, I found you in the forest. I was worried you were hurt, so I brought you back here to my village," Alice explained.
"Oh," was all Bella could reply. None of it made sense. Bella made it to her feet, sliding out of the small makeshift bed made out of a pile of hay she'd been resting in.
Alice gave her a worried expression. "Are you okay?"
Bella nodded. She realized the man named Jasper had yet to speak to her. He was watching her carefully, and it made her feel slightly uneasy. As if he could sense this, he casually looked away.
Bella remained quiet. She thought it was best not to let on to the fact that she thought she had now gone completely insane. There was no rational explanation for what was happening.
"Jasper, can you go fetch Bella and I some water?" Alice asked her husband.
Jasper looked unsure. It was clear he didn't want to leave Alice alone with this stranger, but his wife gave him a pointed look that said 'no arguing' and he headed for the door. Jasper gave Bella one last wary glance before nodding and reluctantly leaving the cabin. Bella tried to get a look at things outside, but the door had been shut too quickly.
"Bella, do you know how you ended up in the forest?" Alice asked Bella as soon as Jasper was gone, coming nearer.
Bella unintentionally took a small step back. "No," she replied, shaking her head.
Alice sighed in what seemed like frustration. "I'm sorry. I just...I saw you coming. I knew you would be here, but-"
"Wait, what?" Bella asked, getting worried now. Had she been kidnapped by psychos that liked to dress up in weird clothes and hold people hostage?
Alice cast Bella a somewhat hesitance glance before speaking again. "I...I can see things. I get visions."
"Visions?" Bella asked, looking at the poor girl who had obviously gone mad along with her husband.
Alice nodded. "I do not expect you to believe me right now, but I've seen you in my visions many times. A few days ago I saw you drown, but I could not figure out where. I was beginning to think you had died..."
How could she possibly know about that? The more Alice talked the more things started to seem more and more unbelievable.
"But you are here now," Alice said, giving her a small smile. Before Bella had a chance to say anything Alice rushed forward, pulling Bella into a tight hug. It was amazing that such a small person had so much strength. "I'm so glad I found you. Edward is going to love you," Alice said, smiling brightly at Bella.
"I don't know how I ended up here," Bella said quietly as Alice released her. Bella was starting to worry she would never know. More importantly, how would she get back to reality? And who on earth was Edward?
Alice frowned, looking worried again. "I am sorry, but I did not see how you ended up in the forest. I only had a vision of you. I am glad I got to you in time."
"In time for what?" Bella asked curiously.
Alice leaned forward just a little, her voice lowering some. "The forest you were in is very dangerous. No one dares to venture into it, only the brave men, and even they always travel in groups."
"But you said you found me?"
Alice nodded. "I could not just leave you out there, and I knew Jasper would not take me along if I sent him."
Bella looked skeptically at Alice. Alice was a very petite woman and at least a head shorter than Bella. "How on earth did you manage to carry me out of the woods by yourself then?" Bella questioned her.
"Ryder, my horse, carried us," Alice explained.
"Oh," Bella mumbled, not even wanting to question why Alice was riding a horse around. "Why is the forest so dangerous?" she asked instead.
"It is full of wolves," Alice replied. "Among other things..."
Bella wanted to ask what she meant by that, but there were more important things to discuss. "You said you've had many visions of me?"
Alice nodded "Yes, sometimes you were wearing strange clothes," Alice answered, crinkling her nose a bit. "I did not know where you were or how to find you. I did not know where people wore such clothing, but you are dressed normally now," she said, motioning to Bella's outfit that looked similar to her own.
Bella didn't know where to begin, how to tell Alice that she didn't think she was in Kansas anymore...although she had a feeling Alice wouldn't get that reference.
"Do you know of a town called Forks?" Bella asked Alice who shook her head in confusion.
"What kind of a name is that for a town?" Alice questioned, crinkling her nose again.
Bella sighed. "You said we're in a village called...?"
"Twilight," Alice filled in for her.
"Okay...Look, I don't know what's going on, but I-"
Suddenly the door to the cabin swung open again and in came Jasper with a bucket of what Bella assumed to be the water Alice had asked for.
"Jasper, do you know of a place called Forks?" Alice asked him.
Jasper set the bucket down on a small table by the fireplace before shaking his head. "No, why?" he asked curiously, looking back and forth between Alice and Bella.
"Where is this place, Bella?" Alice asked curiously, looking back at Bella.
"I'm not certain. I'm not even sure where we are now," Bella replied honestly.
"Our village sits on the edge of the forest, but we are south of Daggerhorn Village and east of Varrock," Alice said as if it were supposed to make sense to Bella.
As if that helps, Bella thought, frustrated. She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and rubbing her temples.
"Are you okay, Bella?" she heard Alice ask.
Bella opened her eyes to see Alice frowning, watching her with a concerned expression again.
"You say you have visions, Alice? Are they of the future?" Bella asked. She wasn't sure how safe it was to buy into the psychic stuff, but how else would this stranger know about the cliff diving?
"You told her, Alice?" Jasper demanded, his eyes widening as he nearly glared at his wife.
Alice glared right back. "Yes, of course. Bella and I are going to be great friends," she said cheerfully, grinning happily at Bella.
This had to be a hoax. Bella was certain that when she walked right out that cabin door she would discover this was all a very elaborate prank. Jake probably planned this along with their friends Quill and Embry. Maybe he'd even gotten Sam, Leah, and Emily in on it. After all, Jacob couldn't have possibly come up with all of this on his own. He would never have been able to pull this off.
"I'd like to leave now," Bella said calmly as she walked over to the door.
"But where will you go?" Alice asked as she followed Bella out of the little house.
Bella wondered where Jacob had found the actors and the clothes for this. She would be very angry if she found out Jacob or one of the guys had changed her while she was unconscious.
Bella pushed open the door and was greeted with cool air. She stepped down out of the little log house and froze in her tracks as she took in her surroundings. It was noisy outside, filled with people bustling by. They were all dressed in the same type of clothes that Jasper, Alice, and herself wore. Bella began to panic.
A dozen other small wooden houses like the one she had just been in surrounded her. People rode by on their horses. People walked, wheeling small carts of food or supplies. Hay covered the dirt ground.
"Bella, you do not look so good. Are you sure you are okay?" Alice asked, stepping up behind Bella.
Bella didn't answer her. She suddenly felt dizzy. Her legs felt like pillars of Jell-O and her palms were sweaty. She didn't trust herself to answer right now.
"They are back!" someone yelled loudly. Bella wasn't sure who it was, but suddenly everyone within earshot swarmed towards the large wood doors leading out of the village it seemed. Bella hadn't noticed they were surrounded by tall wooden walls and gates. Why? Alice had mentioned something about wolves. Was it to keep them out?
'Among other things' Alice had said. What else were they trying to keep out? Bella shivered at the thought and pushed it away.
"Come, Bella," Alice said, pulling on Bella's arm. Bella let Alice lead her towards the commotion.
Bella knew one thing for sure...she definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore.
A/N: Hey guys! ;) I've been wanted to write this for a while now. It's been one of those ideas jumping around in my head off and on.
So...what do you think about it? Continue? Don't continue?
Leave me a review to let me know if you would like for me to continue. If not I'll take it down. If so I'll keep posting.
Also, the song at the beginning was the reason I began writing this in the first place. Both versions of the songs are good. Sam the Sham sang the original and Laura Gibson's version is newer. Both sound great, and, yes, Laura Gibson's version was on a Volvo commercial ;)
Thanks for reading!
-Angie